Magazines of either of the saddle-stitched or flat-back bound type are typically produced either sequentially or in pairs. In either case, in the flat-back or saddle-stitched, the product is normally trimmed. The magazine can be produced singularly or in pairs and then trimmed in two pieces.
When two products are produced from what is typically referred to as a five-knife trimmer, as shown in FIG. 1, the two magazines 10 are joined together as shown preparatory to being trimmed. Initially, the five-knife trimmer trims the sides as shown at 1, 2 and 3, and thereafter cuts and trims the magazine 10 to form two independent magazines 12 and 14 by cutting and trimming at 4 and 5.
The three-knife trimmer is employed when only a single magazine is being produced and the single magazine 16, as shown in FIG. 1b, is trimmed at sides 1, 2, and 3 as shown by the three-knife trimmer.
Conventional systems stack product utilizing two conveyors, in which each conveyor transfers one of the two five-knife products to associated stackers, five-knife work also being typically referred to as "two-on". When the processing equipment is set up for operation in the three-knife mode or one lane, typically referred to as "one-on", the product is produced along the centerline of the trimmer and conveyor equipment must be shifted over into alignment with one of the lanes conveying product to its associated stacker. More specifically, the two conveyor lanes when operating in the "two-on" mode are arranged so that they are offset from the centerline of the trimmer when operating as a three-knife trimmer and one of these conveyor lanes must be shifted so as to-be in alignment with the centerline of the three-knife trimmer to operate in the "one-on" mode. This shifting operation is difficult to do due to the product and significantly limits the performance and output capacity of the equipment since existing. systems must "walk" the three-knife product over to one of the two delivery lanes.
In addition to the above, conventional systems have typically been designed for the application of hard copy labels. With the advent of ink jet printers, conventional systems must be retrofitted to accommodate ink jets.